Heaven, Hell, and Absolute Truth

The Bible teaches clearly that there is no one that can stand before God and declare his or her righteousness - there is no one considered to be good, and we need a Savior to make things right. Romans 3 says this:
21But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,22even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,24being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus...
How does a person stand righteous before God?  The Bible is clear - it's not based on our personal worth or our personal works.  Making sure your good works outweigh your bad doesn't make you right before God.  We are sinful people!  Jesus came to eradicate the sin that stood in the way of a right relationship, a right position, with our Heavenly Father.  And, if we make the decision to make Jesus the Lord and Savior of our lives, then we have the promise of eternal life with Him - His presence with us to walk with us through this earth, and to bring us into our home in heaven with Himself.
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In Matthew 13, Jesus drew the distinction between those who would spend eternity with Him and those who would not...

47"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind,48which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.49So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just,50and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
So what do Americans believe about heaven and hell, and other theological truths?   Ligonier Ministries commissioned LifeWay Research recently to, as Stephen Nichols, chief academic officer of Ligonier Ministries, put it, “take the temperature of America’s theological health.”

The LifeWay Research website has the report.  It quotes Ligonier founder and chairman, R.C. Sproul, as saying, “What comes screaming through this survey is the pervasive influence of humanism.”

Researchers asked 43 questions about faith, covering topics from sin and salvation to the Bible and the afterlife. They wanted to know how people in the pews—and people on the street—understand theology.

Ed Stetzer, Executive Director of LifeWay Research, said, “People like to believe in a generic Christian-ish god with cafeteria doctrines," adding, "However, when we asked about harder beliefs—things that the church has and still considers orthodoxy—the numbers shift.”

Two thirds - 67 percent - of Americans believe heaven is a real place. But as far as who goes there, well, just under half of Americans (45 percent) say there are many ways to heaven—which, as the LifeWay report points out, conflicts with traditional views about salvation being linked to faith in Jesus.  That includes about 1-in-5 evangelicals.

About half of Americans (53 percent) say salvation is in Christ alone.  About four in 10 say people who have never heard of Jesus can still get into heaven. And 3 in 10 say people will have a chance to follow God after they die.

You have a slightly smaller percentage of survey respondents who believe in the reality of hell than a real heaven. About 6 in 10 Americans (61 percent) say hell is a real place.

Overall, Americans don’t seem too worried about sin or being sent to hell. Two-thirds (67 percent) say most people are basically good, even though everyone sins a little bit, which the report points out is an optimistic view of human nature at odds with traditional teaching about human sin.

Fewer than 1 in 5 Americans (18 percent) say even small sins should lead to damnation, while about half (55 percent) say God has a wrathful side.

A large percentage - 82 percent - say their local church has no authority to “declare that I am not a Christian.” 56 percent of respondents believe their pastor’s sermons have no authority in their life, while slightly less than half (45 percent) say the Bible was written for each person to interpret as they choose.

Nichols, from Ligonier Ministries, is quoted as saying, "This study demonstrates the stunning gap in theological awareness throughout our nation, in our neighborhoods, and even in the seat next to us at church."

Cafeteria doctrines - that's the phrase Ed Stetzer uses.  As a culture, it appears we have become accustomed to not speaking in terms of absolutes with regard to faith matters.   In our lack of knowledge of God's Word and perhaps our desire to be tolerant in this age, people consider that there might be other ways to heaven than through faith in Jesus Christ.

But, this is clearly contradictory to what Jesus said - that He is the way, the truth, and the life.  And, as it has been pointed out, who are we to say something other than what the Bible teaches?  That does seem to be the rub - there are those who, when they encounter inconvenient teaching or something in the Bible that they do not personally believe, they customize the Scriptures to line up with their own suppositions, rather than allow God's Word to shape their belief system.

We have to be careful to not omit passages of Scripture with which we do not agree.  We are called to incorporate and follow the whole counsel of God.   For instance, even though Romans 3 tells us that there is none righteous, two-thirds of people surveyed believe humans are basically good.  But, the truth, is we're not, and we need a Savior in order to make us right with God.  The teachings of the Bible, including what Jesus taught, are sometimes hard and challenging, but following His truth is essential for living the abundant and satisfying life that God intends for us. And, our decisions based on the Word of God can determine and help us be confident about our eternal destiny.